Research

The Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP) is a unique consortium consisting of Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and five major steel producers, including AK Steel Corporation, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, ArcelorMittal USA, and Nucor Corporation. The consortium is unprecedented in world industrial history, as it brings competing steel and automotive manufacturers together in a pre-competitive, collaborative environment to achieve a common goal for its customers.

A/SP has successfully contributed to a green and sustainable economy by completing a series of advanced high-strength steel weight-reduction research projects that help automotive designers meet the challenges surrounding:

Safety requirements, such as front, rear, roll-over and side impact crashes; and

Tougher environmental standards, as steel has a 100 percent recycling rate in automobiles.

Through greater formability and manufacturability, engineers and automakers are now able to make lighter, stronger and more fuel-efficient and affordable vehicle structures with the next generation of advanced high-strength steels.

Through funding by the U.S. Department of Energy and member companies, as well as the expert engineering resources of the automotive and steel members, A/SP has accelerated technical developments leading mass reduction with steel up to 32 percent, taking steel closer to the FreedomCAR goal of 50 percent mass reduction.

The next generation of steels offer the best solution to automakers for lightweighting vehicles - one that does not sacrifice safety or affordability in helping meet the more stringent fuel economy standards.